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Pillar One, Part 1 airs on Tuesday the 20th of May at 09:00 and the link is here: PILLARS PART 1

Pillar One Part 2 also airs on Tuesday the 20th of May, but at 09:30 and the link is here: PILLARS PART 2

Obviously, if you are reading this after the premier times don’t worry, everything will still be there.

The Audio is at the very end of this post, so just scroll down to listen.

I would like to extend my thanks to Crowded House Church for the use of their facilities and to Chris Botha, Richard Grove, Luke vd Merwe, and James Perris, who sat through the full presentation and asked such excellent questions in the Q&A. I would also like to acknowledge the excellent videographer and editor, Shaun Shaw. Thanks also to my dear daughter Karen for her great artwork.

A summary of the transcript of both parts of Pillar One is as follows:

Part 1

“The Three Pillars of Truth,” is a framework, based on 30 years of research, prayer, and experience in building both a church and a seminary. I hope to encourage you to deepen your understanding of Jesus and scripture through these pillars: Bible-based, Jesus-centred, and Spirit-dependent. These are not isolated concepts; they are interconnected foundations for Christian truth, with Jesus at the very heart. This discussion will focus on the first pillar: what I believe it truly means to be Bible-based.

For us as Christians, I contend that truth rests on three foundations: the person of Jesus, who declared, “I am the truth”; the Bible, which we call the “word of truth”; and the Holy Spirit, known as the “spirit of truth”.

A Brief Historical Overview

To grasp what “Bible-based” signifies, I find it helpful to look at a brief historical overview of how the Church’s approach to scripture has evolved.

Around 50 AD, I see a divergence in the early church. The Alexandrian school in Egypt emphasised mystical interpretations with multiple layers of meaning- literal, moral, and allegorical. Meanwhile, the Roman school was more pragmatic, eventually becoming increasingly sacramental and developing doctrines through synthesis, such as the idea of Mary as a co-redeemer. It also emphasised hierarchical structures.

The Reformation in 1570 shifted the focus again, reacting against Roman sacramentalism and becoming intellectualised, analytical, and conservative. Then, in 1901, Pentecostalism emerged, which I see as reintroducing allegorical interpretations and an emphasis on layers of meaning, reminiscent of the Alexandrian school. The 1900s also witnessed the rise of liberalism, bringing with it scepticism, a demand for scientific validation for truth, and a downplaying of the supernatural. I’ve observed that these varied historical approaches and ideas continue to circulate in our churches and Christian literature today.

So, to clarify what I mean by “Bible-based,” I first want to outline what, in my understanding, the Bible is not:

What the Bible is Not

• It is not a magic book from which we can pluck verses out of context to use as charms or mantras.
• It is not a theological dictionary or a systematic theology; it isn’t structured into neat doctrinal categories.
• It is not a religious artefact or an object of worship.
• Crucially, in my view, the Bible is not the ultimate source of truth. Jesus Christ himself is that source, having stated, “I am the truth.” The Bible is the written revelation of this truth, and I believe this distinction is important to prevent the scriptures from being perceived as superseding Jesus.
• It is not an infallible, word-for-word dictation from God, nor is it what I call a “pseudo-dictation” where God minutely supervised every word. I argue that this latter view is functionally similar to dictation and creates issues with translations and interpretations. I often point to the “King James Only” movement as an example of the complexities arising from such a view. To my knowledge, only the seven letters in Revelation appear to be direct dictation.

Conversely, I define what the Bible is as follows:

What the Bible is

• It is the revelation of God and his ways, revealing his character, nature, and how he operates.
• It is also an honest revelation of the ways of humankind, which, as we know, are often ungodly. The Bible accurately records events like David’s sin with Bathsheba, genocides, and manipulations. These serve as accounts of human actions rather than models for godly behaviour. I also believe some speeches within it are not divinely inspired, and literary forms like the Book of Job (which I see as a moral play) put words into God’s mouth that may not be literal divine utterances.
• It is the only divinely inspired written revelation of Jesus Christ– his nature, words, and works. While secular texts might mention Jesus, they do not convey his true teachings or nature.
• The bible is trustworthy. Despite questions one might have about precise historical details or numbers, its message is true, and I firmly believe we can build our lives, our doctrine, and our churches upon it.
• Therefore, in my conviction, the bible serves as the final judge of Christian doctrine and values, the yardstick by which we discern truth from error.

I want to conclude by emphasising my strong belief that these three pillars- Bible-based, Jesus-centred, and Spirit-dependent are divinely synergistic. They cannot be separated, but at the very core of this framework stands Jesus Christ.

Part 2

Biblical Inerrancy

The concept of “biblical inerrancy,” often used to counter liberalism, suggests the bible is without error. However, this concept isn’t taught in the bible itself, is confused by many qualifications, and applies only to original manuscripts (which don’t exist). The concept does not apply to translations, numbers and dates that might not be precise. Further disclaimers are that the bible wasn’t meant to meet modern scientific precision and was written in phenomenal language appropriate for its time. Once qualified, I agree with the concept, but it raises more problems than it solves. I believe “trustworthy” is a better term. As Karl Barth said, “The bible is just as God wants it to be.” It is a complete and honest record.

Our interpretation of this trustworthy bible becomes dependable only when we understand and teach it through the lens of Jesus Christ, under the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Sound interpretation is vital.

Invalid methods of Interpretation

• Verse picking: Proof-texting ideas out of context. Topical preaching can be a grand form of this.
• Misusing allegory: Jesus used parables (allegories), but finding unintended deep meaning in every detail (like the oil in the parable of the ten virgins symbolising the Holy Spirit in a way that misses the main point of preparedness) leads to error.
• Lifting texts from immediate context: Words derive meaning from their context. For instance, when Jesus said, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church,” at Banias (called the “gates of hell”), He meant that demonic forces cannot defeat his church, not that the church should physically charge the gates.
• Slavish literalism: Interpreting symbolic language literally, like Hal Lindsey equating locusts in Revelation with Apache helicopters.
• Reading our context back into the text: We must understand the original audience’s context first, extract the principles, and then apply the truth to our situation.
• Conjecture from silence: Assuming something is permissible or true because the bible doesn’t explicitly forbid or state it.
• Building general principles from specific practices: For example, elevating foot-washing to a sacrament because Jesus washed his disciples’ feet misses the broader principle of servanthood.

Sound interpretation

• The Context Principle: Considering the immediate scriptural context (verse, paragraph, book) and the historical/cultural context (what original hearers understood).
• The Exhaustive Reference Principle: Knowing what all of scripture says on a topic, aided by scholarly works.
• The Christocentric Principle: Interpreting scripture primarily from what Jesus taught, modelled, and revealed about the Godhead.

The Bible is God’s revelation, trustworthy, and the yardstick for Christian values. True understanding comes through a Christocentric lens, guided by the Holy Spirit, integrating all three pillars of truth.

Unfortunately the audio is no longer available through your podcatchers, but please feel free to download or listen to it below.

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